The look on your face suggests that this is a bad idea...

It is remarkably rewarding, being sent a PDF certificate that says winner across it, even if you have to make sure your name is filled in correctly and then print it out yourself. That certificate lives atop my CD shelves and I only glance at it from time to time, it used to live in the toilet, hung delicately in a clip frame by an old bit of ribbon.

The teeshirt I bought is worn at least once a week, sometimes to work, sometimes to the gym, I like glancing in the mirror and seeing Winner emblazoned across my chest. It actually gets worn more than my 'Triathlon' teeshirt. Perhaps I am more proud of this achievement. Perhaps I was so pleased with how it went, I'm thinking of doing it again.

Nanowrimo 2010. completed. 50,000 words in the month of November written. story created, character developed.

Namowrimo 2011 is next.

I like to tell people that I am an office bod by trade, and a writer by heart. They like to smile and nod and say 'Isn't that lovely, have you had anything published?' then i look shamefaced and say that other than university stuff and a local writers group (both of which ended a number of years ago) I have not tried. Not really any way. Perhaps that is why the challenge of Nanowrimo appeals so much, I had never considered that I would even have 10,000 words of a novel in me, let alone somehow find a character to write 50,000 words on. I am quite proud of the story so far, the protagonist is a lot like me, but I like making up things for her to do, decisions that I might never get the chance to make, and risks that I wouldn't take, she has formed into this 20 something woman who i'd be proud to know.

Once you've written the 50,000 they don't tell you that you then have to edit it, to form it into something that someone else might want to read. That has been my problem, 10 months later, my novel has pen all over it, but that is it. It is no further forward.

So despite my at present hectic life, who knew developing a passion for sports and activities would take up so much time, I am thinking that November 2011 is going to be the next step. 1 month. 50,000 words. Not a new story, no new characters, just the next step along her story. I might be crazy. Annie's tale will be 100,000 give or take. My lunch breaks will be taken up, evenings when I'm not at training, weekends when I am not visiting people, jotted ideas scribbled across so many pages that I will get lost a little.

But I will report back, I will let you know whether I am a winner on the 1st December. Maybe someone might want to read it, maybe, just maybe, I can submit it to see if they'll publish it, then I might be able to reply to anyone who asks, 'yes, I'm a published author'.